Define natural resources using the three core criteria and categorise them by their human use.
Explanation of technological, economic, and cultural criteria.
Elements of Nature exist independently of humans. But for an entity to officially be called a resource, it must meet three key human-centric criteria.
Visual of an offshore oil rig and a sacred grove.
A resource must be technologically accessible and economically feasible (like the oil rig), but also culturally acceptable (unlike exploiting a sacred grove).
Fill-in-the-blanks on resource criteria.
Nature provides us with a vast array of materials, but not all of them are immediately considered resources. For an element of Nature to become a resource, it must meet three specific criteria. First, we must have the tools and knowledge to reach it, meaning it must be technologically . Second, the cost of extracting or using it cannot be too high; its exploitation must be economically . Finally, society must not have strong objections to its use, meaning it must be culturally . For instance, cutting down trees in sacred groves violates the third criterion. Therefore, a material only transitions from being just a part of the environment to a usable resource when it satisfies all these conditions.
Fill-in-the-blanks on resource criteria.
Nature consists of life and non-life forms that exist independently of humans. When humans use these elements for their sustenance or to create new things, they are considered natural resources. However, not everything in Nature automatically qualifies as a resource for human use. For an entity to be officially called a resource, it must first be technologically , meaning we have the tools to reach and extract it. Second, the cost of extracting it cannot be overwhelmingly high, so its use must be economically . Third, extracting the entity cannot violate societal norms or beliefs, meaning it must remain culturally . If an element fails any of these criteria, such as the socially restricted of trees in a sacred grove, it is not treated as an available natural resource.
Explanation of categorising resources by life, materials, and energy.
Categorisation helps us communicate effectively. Instead of describing every single element every time, we group them by shared characteristics. One of the most practical ways to categorise natural resources is based on how humans use them.
Grid mapping resources to their use categories.
Resources we simply cannot exist without.
Used to create physical objects of utility or beauty.
Powers electricity, transport, and production.